Just about every sports team can come up with some legitimate excuses when they fail, but every once in a while, a club gets bamboozled by bad luck often enough that it’s tough not to give them an “incomplete” rather than a failing grade.

The St. Louis Blues seem like that team this season. They’ve been hit hard in the forward position, with David Perron, T.J. Oshie and Andy McDonald missing time. Their blueline has been black and blue too, with Roman Polak, Alex Pietrangelo and now Erik Johnson dealing with injuries.

The Blues are breathing a sigh of relief tonight, after learning that defenseman Erik Johnson suffered only a sprain of his right knee Wednesday night in Detroit.

“As far as the Blues go today, it’s been a good day,” Blues President John Davidson said. “Erik Johnson had an appointment with the doctor this morning … and he was sent for an MRI … and what he has is a slight sprain of the knee, and it’s day to day. So there’s not a long-term injury here, he’s relieved, we’re relieved and maybe this is a good sign for things for us to turn around finally. That’s where it is with Erik.”